Patience Pays Off

Back to "work" today - fishing with Frank Boehm and his buddy Jack Severson this morning, where we met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park with plans to fish the last of an outgoing tide. There were no live shrimp this morning so we went with mud minnows and a whole lot of optimism.  Our first stop was over at some docks at Eagans Creek and although these two angles were making pin point casts to the dock pilings, we had no real bites. We made the long run up Bells River and fished some more docks but it was
Frank that found the fish out deep as he was tossing his jig and minnow combo up current. Reeling it in slowly he had a hookup and put a hungry Seatrout in the boat. Then both anglers were catching, Jack followed it up with a Trout then Frank would land one the Jack would follow that up with one. We caught good handful before we moved on to seek bigger fish. Our next stop was at the MOA and although it was ideal conditions, we had no bites. We continued on around to Tiger Island, fished our jigs deep and finally, Frank had a bite and FISH ON! We could tell this was a big fish by the way the drag sang out and with Frank applying gentle pressure, he soon won the battle and landed a nice 26" Slot sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We fished up and down the bank. Jack hooked up and landed a feisty Redfish, then Frank put a keeper sized Trout in the boat, then he hooked up and landed another 22" Slot Red. They had another Red or two then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Everybody's a Winner

Who would have thought we'd be fishing in shirtsleeves in February here at Amelia Island? It was a beautiful morning when I met Charlie Bailey and Marge down up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp. The tide was right at dead low so we ran up to Jolley River to fish the "bank" with jigs and live shrimp. Although the conditions were right with a first of an incoming tide, we had now real bites. We came back to Tiger Island and fished the deep water. Finally, Marge "knocked the skunk" off when she hooked up and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish. A while later we had another good bite and
Charlie put a feisty Red in the boat. We ran around to Eagans Creek and fished some dock pilings and here things heated up a bit. Actually, Marge's first cast produced another Slot Red!  And maybe the second cast! Then both anglers were getting bites. Charlie put a Slot sized fish in the boat then Marge followed it up with one that had the most spots for the day, an 8-spotter. We had a good handful of Reds then the bite fell off to nothing. We hit one more dock, had no bites, then ran up Bell River just a short distance to fish some now flooded oysters with float rigs and shrimp.  Just when I thought it was about time to wrap things up Charlie's float drifted close by some marsh grass and won it went, FISH ON! He played the fish patiently and after a good battle, landed  a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum. His next cast went to the same spot and BOOM!  Another big fish on! He battled it perfectly and soon landed the biggest Red of the day, a 21" Slot sized fish. When we tallied it all up, the duo had 5-6 Slot sized Reds in addition to the nice Black Drum. Marge had the first fish, the first Slot fish, and the one with the most spots. Charlie had the biggest Redfish and the most variety with the Black Drum. But the best thing yet was that it was a great day to be out on Amelia Island waters!

Fishing With The Eagles

We went south today, where I met Roger Pickett and his fishing partner David. We launched from the Sawpit Creek boat ramp at 1pm and headed over to the docks of Longpointe at the very first of an outgoing tide. Roger tossed out a slip float with live shrimp and David pitched a jig with shrimp and BOOM! David hooked up with a Trout on the first cast. Although Roger had a bite on the float, the Trout must have liked the shrimp right on the bottom because David picked up another one as we worked the docks. We then ran
up the Nassau River to fish some docks as the tide move out of the marsh. Both anglers were making pin point casts but the first dock produced no fish. After moving down to the second one, Roger put a Seatrout in the boat then we hooked up with a Redfish that was right at Slot size, and David put him in the boat. We fished down the dock line and back up and picked up a fish here and there - Roger got his Redfish that he was looking for and both anglers landed a good handful of Trout. Although all fish were released today, a few of the Trout were of keeper size. We made a final run
down to Broward Island and although the bite could have been better, Roger landed a couple of Trout with one of them being the biggest of the day, and David wrapped things up when he caught, fought and landed a nice Slot Sized Red. As the sun was going down we were treated to a Bald Eagle sighting - he was watching us the whole time, and with that, we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Low Tide Memories

You would have thought it was spring time for the first day in February, as pretty as a day it was. We elected to leave the jackets in the truck! I met Patti and Michael Cherniawki up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp at 1pm and we headed over to Lanceford Creek to fish some flooded grass with live shrimp and float rigs. Although we worked the area pretty good, we had no real bites. We made a stop at one of the docks on Lanceford and it wasn't long before we were getting bites. The first one was a big fish that didn't want to be caught, and he was smart enough to run through the pilings and
break the leader, OUCH!  But we stuck with it and soon Patti was fighting a nice fish. She worked the fish in patiently and as she was landing it, Michael had  a hookup - we had a "double"!  He played his fish perfectly and they both landed nice feisty Redfish. Patti's had  8 spots and was right at the legal limit. It would be a great fish to catch in next year's Redfish Spot Tournament. We  had a few more bites, then moved on, running up the Bell River to make a stop at some more docks. Here, the two anglers picked up a handful of Seatrout, with one of them being of keeper size. Our next stop was around on the Jolly River, fishing the MOA, but the current was still running a little swift and we had no real bites. We continued on around and into Tiger Basin with plans to fish the island. The tide had gotten low and as we went in we bumped bottom a couple of time but got through and fished. Pattie put a very nice 18" Sheepshead in the boat, they added another Redfish and Trout, and finished it off with a small but feisty Black "puppy" Drum, giving them an Amelia Island Back Country Slam of Redfish, Seatrout, Sheepshead, and Drum. The sun was going down and we headed back, but the day wasn't over yet! The low tide was extremely low and we had to work our way across the sand bar with the trolling motor. Although we'd stick once in a while,  the now incoming tide we'd eventually give us enough water and we'd move on, and eventually we made it over the bar and headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Recipe of the Month: Cebiche Peruvian

We were visiting Mt. Dora, Florida and had dinner at Mr. Cebiche in downtown Mt. Dora. The chef stopped by the table to answer any questions about the menu and when we told him we liked ceviche, he recommended their Cebiche and offered to give us his recipe! Here it is..

1 lb fresh fish/shrimp/seafood chopped
7-8 limes, halved and squeezed
1/4 tsp salt
1 handful of cilantro leaves, chopped finely
 Mix this with the fish. Lime juice should cover the fish. Put in refrigerator and stir occasionally.

1  celery stalk, chopped finely
1/4  orange or red bell pepper, remove all seeds, veins, chopped finely
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1 Tbsp milk

Blend this together. When fish has turned from opaque to white, drain about half of the lime juice off. Mix this topping with fish. Garnish with some finely sliced purple onion slivers, cilantro leaves, and avocado. 

See more recipes HERE!

Fun Fishing Friday

 
 
I was able to get out and do some "fun" fishing Friday with my wife, launching at the south end boat ramp on a grey and windy afternoon. We headed up the Nassau River and got in behind a land mass with plans to fish some dock pilings, and with the wind blocked, it was quite pleasant. We had a bait well full of lively live shrimp and we began to toss a jig/shrimp combo up to the pilings. It took a few casts but we were able to hookup with a Slot sized Redfish, which Carol expertly reeled in. We worked the docks thoroughly and caught another Redfish and a handful of
baitstealers. Carol eased in an persistent Blue Crab and also picked up a hungry Seatrout. It was good to get out on the water. As we headed in the skies had an awesome cloud cover.

Casting a Spinning Rod

Here's my two cents worth..

January Grande Slam

...and Ham Samiches! We're being blessed with May weather in January this year and today was no different. I met longtime clients Dale and Kay Bullard down at the south end boat ramp and as always, they brought along a third helping of their famous Ham Samiches! Boy are they good. There made with the motto, "keep it simple" - plain white bread, premium Honey Baked Ham slices, mayonnaise, and Velveeta Cheese slices. But before snacking, we made the run up the Nassau River and with the tide hitting bottom,
we made our first stop at Bubblegum Reef. I haven't been having any luck here in the last few months but the tide was right and I just had to try it out. No real bites, other than a "baitstealer" that Kay expertly caught. We moved up the river to fish some dock pilings and sure enough, there were fish. Kay "knocked the skunk off" when she landed a hard fighting Black "puppy" Drum then both anglers put a few Redfish in the boat. We had one big fish hooked up but it was smart enough to wrap itself around a piling and, Fish Off.  We bounced up and down the docks and landed a few more feisty Redfish then ran down to Broward Island to fish the first of the incoming tide. The two anglers had a good flurry of fish catching, landing a few Redfish then Dale began to pickup some hungry Seatrout out deep to give them a Slam. He landed a nice keeper sized Black Drum and while he was working it to the boat Kay had a strange bite and hookup. She brought hers in just a minute after Dale's and we netted a keeper sized Flounder, giving the couple an Amelia Island Back Country Grande Slam of Redfish, Black Drum Seatrout and Flounder. We worked up and down the bank and wrapped it up with Dale landing a good handful of Seatrout, caught out deep. With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Quick Start

Wow what a pretty day today! It was dead calm and the water was like glass when I met Ed Boner and  his two sons Nolan and Landon. We made a short run over to Tiger Island and fished the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. It was a good move - Nolan's first cast to the bank was hookup and, FISH ON! We could tell that this was a big fish by the way the drag was ripping, but he took his time and played the fish patiently, letting it run when it wanted to run - and slowly worked it to the boat to land a nice 22"+ Slot Redfish! First cast! That woke us up fast! We got
the other two anglers fishing and in just a short while Nolan put another feisty Redfish in the boat. I was thinking, "here we go", but it was not to be. The anglers had a ton of "nibblers" (Landon was the only one with enough skill to hook one) and Ed was able to put a hungry Seatrout in the boat that was right at the size limit. We fished the area thoroughly but had no more fish. The tide was getting up we ran around to Bell River and fished a point of flooding oysters with float rigs, and again, just nibblers. Back to the outside of Tiger and same thing. We made one final run over to Lanceford Creek, fished some dock pilings with no luck, and wrapped up back over the oysters fishing floats and live shrimp. Again, no luck. But it was an absolutely beautiful day and a great one to be out on the water fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Dock Pilings Are The Trick

I wrapped the week up fishing an afternoon trip today, taking advantage of the last of an outgoing tide. After meeting John Tonetti and  his friend Wayne down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp we ran up the Nassau River with plans to fish the same docks that I fished yesterday - where we had an outstanding Redfish catch. After "anchoring" the trolling motor the two anglers began to pitch to some pilings in 10' of water. I think it was the first cast and, FISH ON! Now that's the way to start a fishing trip. Wayne patiently worked the fish in and landed a nice feisty Redfish. John followed that up with one of his on, then they combined for a couple of more. We bumped down a dock or two and again, found fish. They were up under the dock and we lost one or two but we won a few. They landed two Slot Sized Reds and one keeper sized Seatrout, along with a smaller one. The bite slowed so we ran down to Broward Island and fished the very last of the outgoing tide, and had no luck. We made one last stop over in Jackstaff with the sun going down and the breeze easing off - a absolutely great time to be out on the water - but again, no real bites.  All this week the Redfish have been under the docks. It was a great way to wrap up another week of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Beautiful Day. Redfish on Fire.

Wow what a beautiful day! We postponed yesterday’s trip to 10am to take advantage of the first of an outgoing tide. I met the young Isaacson group down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp – Alison and Zander and Nathan and Abigail. We ran up the interoastal waterway and into Jackstaff with plans to fish a large marsh runout with live shrimp under float rigs. The water was like glass as the anglers began to toss their baits…but we had very little action until Alison hooked up and landed a feisty Bluefish. We crossed over the creek and trolled the marsh grass fishing with both float rigs and jigs on the bottom, but had no real bites. After a run through Horsehead we set upstream from a dock at Seymore’s Pointe and this did the trick. Alison put nice Seatrout in the boat then Zander had a bite and, FISH ON! This was a big fish. It ripped drag and took line and I saw it roll up waaaay out in the marsh. But Zander was up to the challenge and applied the pressure and slowly worked it in. This fish was wiley. It ran towards the boat and for few seconds we thought it was off but Zander reeled in the slack and FISH BACK ON! After a good battle Zander landed a nice 26” “Tournament sized” Redfish. Boy what a fish! We continued to fish the area and picked up a good handful of feisty Redfish and another Trout or two, then Zander put another big Redfish in the boat. After a while we bumped down to another dock and the fish catching continued. All four anglers got in on the action. Abigail put a couple of Slot sized fish on the boat, Nathan had a couple, and Alison caught some, too. When the bite slowed we moved down a few docks to “Margaret’s Secret Spot” and BOOM! Fish on. Alison picked up the biggest Trout of the day, a nice 17” one (ALL fish were released today) and then all of the anglers were catching fish.  A good handful of Reds were caught and a couple more Trout with Abigail landing one of those. Again, the bite slowed, and with just minutes to go we moved back to a previous dock and sure enough, caught a few more Reds, a couple which were “slots” and Nathan’s being the biggest! Boy what a day!  With that, we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

High Tides Low Tides

Boy what a pretty day we had today! We couldn't have asked for anything better when I met Chip and Cori Slaughter up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp at 8am -sunshine and just a slight breeze. We made a run up to the Jolley River over water that was like glass and eased into Snook Creek to fish a very high and just outgoing tide. Chip was at the stern drifting a float and live shrimp back over  some hidden oysters while Cori was on the bow tossing a jig and shrimp up current and then bouncing it on the bottom. We only had
a few nibbles there so we dropped back and trolled a grass line with the float rigs and this did the trick when Chip had a good bite and landed a hungry Seatrout. I was thinking, "here we go", but that may have jinxed us because we had no more bites. We moved down to the mouth of the Jolley, fished the "Bank" both with floats and jigs, but had no real bites. So I'm thinking, "go to Tiger and fish the downed logs", which we did, but had no fish. We'd fished flooded oysters, marsh grass, downed longs and not much to show for it so we made a run around to Lanceford Creek and found some dock
pilings to fish...and that did the trick. Both Chip and Cori caught a handful of Seatrout with jigs down the bottom. On our way out of Soap Creek it was so shallow we had to push the boat over a sandbar, but we made it! And at the mouth we were treated to a pod of 5-6 dolphin cruising by, which made for another great day to be out on the waters here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Less Windy Makes for Better Trip

George and Margaret Isaacson and I made the decision to skip fishing yesterday due to somewhat higher winds and plan to go today, which we did, and it turned out to be a good call. We had slight winds to about 7mph, sunny skies and it warmed up nicely to come out of jackets. We made our first run from Sawpit Creek up the Amelia River and into Jackstaff with plans to fish the bank with float rigs and live shrimp on an tide that had been going out a few hours. The oysters were just beginning to show. Both anglers were making great casts to the bank as we eased along but we had  not takers. We jumped across the creek and fished the deep side of a sandbar with jigs and shrimp and again, nor real bites. After a quick run through Horsehead we eased up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and presented our jigs and shrimp to the pilings. Again, no fish. Ouch. We dropped down and fished another dock and here we "got the skunk off". You had to have your bait right up next to the pilings and if you got it there, FISH ON!  Both George and Margaret hooked up with a good handful of feisty Redfish and Margaret put one Slot sized fish in the boat. When the bite slowed, we moved down a few docks, pitched up underneath, and BOOM! Redfish on! George had the hot hand early, landing one after the other, then Margaret squeezed in and caught a few for herself. When that finally slowed we fished Bubblegum Reef then made one quick stop at Twin Creeks before we headed in and counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Beautiful Day Fishing Amelia Island

You couldn't ask for a better fishing day. I had met Mark Komorowski and his friends Phil and Colin down at the Sawpit Creek boat ramp this morning. It was just cool enough for a light jacket and their was just a slight  breeze when we headed up the Nassau River with plans to fish some dock pilings on the last hour of an outgoing tide. It was a good call because the first cast produced a  nice feisty Redfish, which Mark reeled in expertly. We picked up a Trout at that first dock, moved back to another and
things really heated up. All three anglers were catching fish - Phil landed a feisty Red and Colin picked up a couple of Trout out deep. We bounced down another couple of docks, had no bites, then went back to the "hot" dock - and caught more fish. Colin had the biggest fish on - this one ripping drag and digging deep, and Colin had the rod bent, trying to keep it out of the pilings. But to no avail. Those big Reds didn't get big by being stupid! He wrapped around a piling, the line went taut, and BAP! Fish Off! But we were catching fish so it was chalked up as "the big one that got away".  We ran
down to Broward Island, fished some logs, and Mark found some Trout down deep on his jig and shrimp combo. We got a handful of them, another Red, then made one last stop back at Twin Creeks. Colin landed a couple of Trout on a float rig and Phil wrapped it up when  he put one more Redfish in the boat. With that, we called it day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Non Stop Action Kicks Off New Year

My first trip back to "work" after the New Year was one of those banner days of fish catching! I had met Chris Niewold and his long time fishing buddy John up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp and we had motored over to the Bell River to fish the first of an incoming tide with jigs and live shrimp. Wouldn't you know, the "demo cast" produced a nibble and so I quickly handed it off to John, who gave it a second, then set the hook, and FISH ON! And it was a big one, to!  John played it patiently as it ripped drag and dove deep- he kept the pressure on and let the rod do the work and
after a good battle landed a nice 24" Slot Redfish. First Cast. Big Fish. Now that's the way to start the day! Then both anglers were getting bites. We moved up and down the bank and it wasn't unusual for the to have a "double" going. Chris had stayed with a spot and he too had a strong hookup. His fish was pulling drag but wanted to stay deep and sure enough, after hard fought battle, Chris landed a big 20" Black "puppy" Drum. We caught fish for 3 hours, landing a whole herd of small "feisty" Redfish, with a couple of Slot sized one's to go along with those. They caught a good handful of the Black Drum, with four of them being of keeper size, and Chris found that he could fish deep along the channel edge and pick up keeper sized Seatrout, the biggest being 19.5" - a nice fish. Being that it was such a great day, they both deserve to claim Anglers Mark 2017 Bragging Rights for biggest fish caught, even if it was the first trip of the year! (Scroll down right side of this report for standings). It was a great way to kick off 2017 fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Great Trip to Wrap up the Year

Although the day started out somewhat "cool", it warmed up nicely and made for a great day of fishing. I had the pleasure of fishing today with the Tesiero's - Don and Kelley and their growing kids Trey and Marie and we met at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp. I hadn't fished "Temptation Cove" in quite a while but the tide was right for it today - high and incoming - so we buzzed down the river and eased into the cove to fish the flooded grass with float rigs and live shrimp. And got not a bite. Ouch. We then ran up Lanceford
Creek and around to my favorite grass patch and here Marie got things started when she hooked up a hungry Seatrout. Then all the anglers were finding fish, tossing their baits out to drift over some flooded oysters, and catching Seatrout. When the bite quite we ran around to Bell River and fished a point, and again Marie put a Trout in the boat.  I had plans to run through Tiger and fish the outside as the tide started out but I couldn't resist stopping at the logs and I'm sure glad we did! Leave it up to Marie - she found a nice feisty Redfish. Trey had been making pinpoint casts all morning long and
here he went in right along side a log and caught the only Black "puppy" Drum of the day. We moved down the island and just when I thought the bite was done, BOOM, FISH ON! BOOM another fish on!  Don had a big one that was ripping line with no plans to come in and Marie had another at the stern. She worked her fish in expertly and landed a nice Slot sized Redfish, but her dad was still battling  his. He fought it valiantly and after a good battle, brought it to the surface where Trey netted and landed a nice 26" Tournament sized Redfish, boy what a fish! We continued to fish - Trey picked up a couple of nice Reds, Marie added another Slot Redfish and then Kelley got in on the action and landed the last Redfish of the day. With that, we wrapped it up, counting it as another great day, and great year, to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Cold Day Double Slam

Boy what a cold front will do! We had shirtsleeve weather yesterday then a front moved through with high winds and rain...then we woke up to 40 degree temperatures with the wind still with us! But my trip wasn't until 1pm and by that time it had risen to the 50's and the wind was just under my "cut-off" of 15mph, and we had a Plan!  I met Jeff Sousa and his father-in-law Skip down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and we headed up the Nassau River. The wind was blowing out of the northwest so we eased in behind Seymore's Pointe and this did the trick - the wind was
blocked enough to make for some comfortable fishing. The two anglers began to toss jigs with live shrimp to some dock pilings and it wasn't long before Jeff "knocked the skunk off" when caught and landed a feisty Redfish. He picked up a hungry Seatrout then we bounced around to the other side of the dock and here the fishing got good!  Skip put a keeper size Seatrout in the boat (all fish were released today) then Jeff had a strong bite and BIG FISH ON!  This fish was ripping drag and doing its best to get back into the pilings but Jeff kept the pressure on and after a good battle landed a nice
22" Black Drum, boy what a fish! Skip put a smaller Drum in the boat and they landed a couple of smaller Reds - they  both had a "Slam" in the first hour of fishing.  We moved on down to another dock and this one was even better! They landed feisty Redfish after feisty Redfish the it was Skip's turn for a big fish. His hookup was strong and the big fish made some drag ripping lunges deep, but it was  no match for Skip. He worked it patiently to the surface, subdued the beast, and landed a nice 26" Tournament sized Redfsih! After picking up a good handful of more Redfish, we move a few docks down and again, a bunch of Redfish, and another couple of keeper sized Black Drums. Our last stop was down at Broward Island. The tide was still going out and the two anglers added another Trout and another Redfish to the catch total. We saw a Salt Marsh Mink AND a Bald Eagle(can  you spot it in the bottom picture?) while we were there, which rounded out another great day of fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

In Search of Redfish on a Fly

The large version

Find the Mink!

I met Keith yesterday at noon up at the Dee Dee Bartels boat ramp with plans to target Redfish with a fly rod. We didn't have a "flood" tide so I knew it would be blind casting spots that we typically catch fish with bait and spin gear. I think everybody and their brother is off this week because the parking lot was packed with trucks and boat trailers. We decided to make a long run away from the area and up the Bell River to fish some dock pilings with a weighted "Live Shrimp Fly". It wasn't long before Keith was making excellent casts to the pilings and we worked them pretty good, but had no takers. We  moved around and into the Jolley River, stopped at the MOA, fished it thoroughly, then continued on around to Snook Creek. Boy was it a pretty day! There was only a slight breeze, the tide was down to the bottom, and it was easy casting...but again no takers!  We made our final stop around at Tiger Island as the tide started back in and this did
the trick. Keith was putting the fly up on the bank and between the stumps with an intermediate sinking line and he had his first hookup, a hungry Seatrout. We bounced up and down the island and after Keith had made a spot on cast, a nice fish chased his fly down and, FISH ON! He played the fish perfectly and soon landed a feisty Redfish.  After moving one more time (and spotting a Salt Marsh Mink) Keith picked up another Trout on the fly, then we headed in, counting it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

The Reds Got Bigger and Bigger

I fished this afternoon with Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald, this time meeting them up at the Eagans Creek boat ramp. The fog from this morning was still set in so we had to ease out of the creek and around to our first stop at Tiger Island. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp and minnows on jig heads to the exposed bank and with the tide just a  standstill it took just a few minutes to get a bite. But bite they did! Gregg started it off by picking up an nice feisty Redfish, then they each began to catch one here and there.
Then Gregg would put a Slot sized fish in the boat, and Dannie would land one just a tad bit bigger. Then Gregg put a nice 22" Slot fish in the boat...and Dannie found a big 26"er! Again, the Salt Marsh Minks were up and down the bank, fishing, and checking us out. Dannie landed a keeper sized Flounder and the two anglers had a good handful of smaller but feisty Redfish to catch. The fog finally burned off around 2pm and it made for a beautiful afternoon

to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Foggy Fishing

Wow!  This morning was one of the foggiest days of fishing I've had in a very long time.  I met Darlene and Connie down at the Eagans Creek boat ramp and the fog was so thick we had to "putter" out of Eagans and all the way to our first stop on the north end and outside of Tiger Island. The two anglers were tossing live shrimp under float rigs but we had no significant bites. We eased around to the mouth of Jolley and began to troll along the bank, again tossing the float rigs, and here Darlene had a nice hookup and landed a keeper sized Seatrout. The tide was high and going out and we
finally began to see some movement. We did the first 100  yards, had a few bites, but no more takers, so we "puttered" further up the river, going slow in the thick fog.  Just outside of Snook Creek we began our troll. Darlene's float had slowly disappeared so she tightened her line and set the hook and BOOM! Fish On!  We could tell this wasn't a Trout because the drag was ripping, but Darlene was up for the challenge and played the fish expertly to the boat and landed a nice 21" Slot sized Redfish. We worked the bank thoroughly, eased up into Snook Creek and fished it with jigs, came back out and fished further up the river, then headed back and around to Tiger Island. The Salt Marsh Minks were out - we saw three different ones - and we also picked up a small Flounder. Connie persisted and found a nice fat Seatrout up by the logs.  It was STILL foggy with only about 30 yards of visibility, but as we headed in we counted it as another great day to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida

Rain Can't Stop Us

Most folks were off today and many of us went fishing! Today I met Gregg and Dannie Fitzgerald and their sister Mali down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp under some foggy skies. We ran up the Intercoastal and dipped into Jackstaff and on into a smaller creek to fish a large marsh run out on the first of an outgoing tide. After the long holiday weekend, the bait shop was out of live shrimp but we had a bait well full of lively mud minnows to bait our float rigs with. It wasn't long before the three anglers began to
get significant bites and then Dannie had a nice hookup and landed a nice hungry Seatarout. They then added another Seatrout and a Bluefish or two. We bounced over to Jackstaff's Bank, eased along the shoreline, switched to jigs and minnows, and here Mali put a Trout in the boat, picked up on the bottom. We next ran through Jackstaff, down the Nassau River to Spanish Drop area and fished a couple of oyster lined banks (even though they were still covered). But alas, no real bites. And It was here we began to get rained on. Ouch. But these anglers were up for some fishing, good weather or
not, so we bounced back up to some docks at Seymore's Pointe and pitched to some pilings. We landed nice feisty Redfish and Gregg got on the board with another Trout. We worked both sides of the dock and on the other side picked up another Redfish and a Blue.
Our final stop was down at Broward Island, running through the rain. The tide was getting down and after picking one more Trout and losing a really big one in the logs, we called it a day, another great one (albeit wet) to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

Hand Select Big Bait Best Bait

Boy was it great to be back fishing after a long 12 days off! I had
the pleasure of fishing again withAdam Alfrey, his daughter Rose Marie, his dad Randy, and father-in-law Bill. We met up at the Dee Dee Bartels Park and boat ramp early, and made a run up the Bell River with plans to fish some docks on an outgoing tide. Why so far? The bait shop was a zoo with anglers trying to get in and get bait, and the parking lot had a few dozen boat trailers, so I knew that spots close by would be crowded. The strategy worked - we had the Bell to ourselves and I believe Rose Marie's first cast netted a nice hungry Seatrout, the first fish of the day! We were fishing with live shrimp on jigs on an outgoing tide and we found a good handful of the Trout, but the biggest was just a tad shy of legal size. We ran around and into the Jolley, stopped at the MOA, which unfortunately did not produce, and continued on around to the mouth of the Jolly where we worked the bank slowly, fishing up current. Again, no real bites. The wind had begun to kick up out of the NE so we made a run to Tiger Island and this did the trick! We were mostly out of the wind and we began to get good fish. Six year old Rose figured out that if she picked out the bigger of the shrimp (medium sized) she had more luck catching big fish, and catch them she did! Rose would have a hookup and could reel the big fish all by herself! There was a couple of times where her grandfathers needed help so she would reel those in too! The four anglers caught about 10 Redfish with three of them being Slot Sized fish, and they also had a few 12" Black "puppy" Drum to round out their Amelia Island Back Country Slam. We fished until the baitstealers were all that was biting then we called it a day, another great one to be fishing here at Amelia Island, Florida.

North Wind and Fly Fishing

It was a beautiful morning today, albeit somewhat "breezy", as the weatherfolks like to call it. I had the pleasure of fishing with Mark Thibodeau again, a fly fisher. This time we met down at the Big Talbot Island Park boat ramp and headed up the Nassau River to fish an outgoing tide with an intermediate 8w sinking line and a new "live shrimp" fly that I had tide this past week. As usual, Mark was making excellent casts, and into a 9mph wind, at that. We worked along one shell bank, then an outflow, then another, but had
no real bites. Our next stop was over at some docks at Seymore's Pointe. Mark was putting his fly right up next to some pilings and in between, and this did the trick. He had a good "thump", set the hook, and patiently worked in a nice keeper sized Flounder (all fish were released today). And just a few minutes after that, he had an even stronger bite and a hookup. This fish had more "shoulders" and made a run across a shallow mud and oyster flat but Mark kept the pressure on and soon landed a nice feisty Redfish. The wind was picking up so we ran down the Nassau River and past the Oyster Factory and found a haven on the lee side of the land mass where we worked some more docks. We had no bites so we continued on down to Broward Island - my "go to spot" for the day. Unfortunately the tide was still ripping out and meeting the wind head on and this made for some difficult fishing and boat handling. We gave it our best but even though the tide was getting down to where it needed to be, it was just not meant to be. We ran back and through Jackstaff, fished the far bank, then headed in, counting it as another great day to be out on the water here at Amelia Island, Florida.